No makeup is really built for 35 degree heat. Sweat, humidity and your own oil will find the weak points in any routine, and somewhere around lunchtime the foundation that looked great at 8am has slid into your laugh lines. The instinct is to pile on more : more powder, another layer of base, a fourth spritz of setting spray. It rarely helps. What actually holds up when it’s hot is a smarter edit: lighter bases, long-wear where it counts, and textures that move with skin rather than sit on top of it. These are the ones worth reaching for when it’s too hot to think.

To find out what really keeps makeup in place when the temperature climbs, I asked makeup artist Allison Kirby who works with clients through exactly these conditions, where most people go wrong. Her answer was immediate: they overdo it.

“The biggest mistake I see clients make in hot weather is simply wearing too much,” she says. “People think heavier coverage lasts longer, but when it’s hot and humid and sweat is unavoidable, even the most carefully applied makeup starts to shift and break down. It’s all about thin layers and being intentional with the products you use and how you use them.”

The pro method: layer thin, spray between

Allison’s approach is what she calls controlled layering. “Start with a non-greasy SPF, then a setting spray. Press your foundation into the skin in a sheer layer — don’t rub — and always remove any excess before adding more. Powder only where you need it: T-zone, under the eyes, around the nose. Then another round of setting spray to lock it in.” Using spray between every step is what she calls the sandwich technique: “It gives your makeup an extra barrier and anchors everything. Think of it as melting the layers together instead of letting them sit separately on the skin.”

e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter

The Halo Glow sits somewhere between skincare, primer and highlighter, and it gives skin a soft, slightly dewy finish without the weight of a full base. Wear it alone on a day you can’t face foundation, mix a few drops into your base to sheer it out, or layer it underneath for glow.

Why it works in the heat: barely there texture, so there’s nothing to slide.

Where to buy: elfcosmetics.co.uk – £16

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Skin Perfector SPF 30

Full foundation in the heat is a fast route to feeling like you’re wearing a mask. A tinted moisturiser is the more sensible swap, and Laura Mercier’s is the one people keep coming back to sheer-to-light coverage, a bit of hydration, SPF 30 built in.

The hot weather case: breathable, weightless coverage with sun protection built in.

Where to buy: lookfantastic.com – £39

ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 30

This is the skincare-makeup hybrid that actually earns the label: skincare ingredients in the formula, mineral SPF 30 on top, and just enough tint to even your skin tone. It won’t cover much, but in a heatwave that’s the point: you get fresh, healthy looking skin. It’s also one of Allison’s picks for everyday wear — “lightweight, natural, and great for humidity without melting“.

Summer appeal: minimalist enough to replace half your base routine.

Where to buy: iliabeauty.com – £42

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

If you genuinely need coverage: an event, a long day, skin you’d rather not show, this is the one I’d trust in summer. It’s medium-to-full but the finish reads like skin, not paint, and it holds through humidity without going patchy or splitting around the nose. The “longwear” part is earned. Allison agrees this is where a proper foundation earns its place: “For a wedding or an event where you need longevity and a matte finish that won’t move, I’d go full coverage.”

Why it lasts: real coverage that grips through humidity, for the days you can’t go bare.

Where to buy: narscosmetics.com – £43.5

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder

Setting powder earns its place when it’s hot, but the heavy mattifying kind can leave you looking flat and dry. This CT pressed one blurs and controls shine while keeping skin looking like skin, and because it’s a compact one, it’s the one you can actually throw in a bag and press into your T-zone at lunch.

Why it works in the heat: blurs shine without the cakey, dried-out finish, and travels well for top-ups.

Where to buy: charlottetilbury.com – £40

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

Powder blush fades by mid afternoon in the heat; liquid formulas grip and last. Rare Beauty’s is the one everyone bangs on about, and fairly one tiny dot per cheek is plenty, and it stays put for hours. There are 13 shades across matte and dewy finishes, so there’s a flush for every skin tone, mine’s Truth, a deep mauve-maroon that reads more grown-up than the usual summer pinks.

Why it survives: pigment that grips and won’t fade by lunchtime.

Where to buy: spacenk.com – £24

Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer

Cream bronzer beats powder in summer because it melts into skin for a believable, sun-warmed effect rather than sitting on top in a stripe. Milk’s matte stick blends out with fingers, never goes greasy, and won’t slide as the day wears on.

The summer edge: cream texture that sinks in instead of sitting greasy.

Where to buy: spacenk.com – £22

Urban Decay Tube Job Tubing Mascara

Tubing mascara is the smart move when it’s hot. Instead of pigment that smears, it wraps each lash in tiny tubes that stay put through sweat, humidity and watery eyes, then slide off with warm water at night. No panda eyes, no scrubbing. Urban Decay’s does it well.

Why it holds: smudge proof through sweat, then lifts off with warm water.

Where to buy: cultbeauty.co.uk – £25

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick

Cream shadow is the low effort heat proof option: no fallout, no powder to crease, and you can apply it with a finger in ten seconds. Bobbi Brown’s sticks go on smooth and hold crease-free through the day, which is more than most powders manage once your lids get warm.

Why it works: no fallout, no creasing, even on warm lids.

Where to buy: bobbibrown.co.uk – £29.50

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

The step that locks everything down. All Nighter is still one of the most reliable sprays for stopping makeup from sliding, and a couple of proper spritzes , not a shy mist — make a real difference on a hot day. Let it dry rather than fanning at it. Setting spray is the part Allison rates most: “the last thing you do to secure everything.”

The hotweather case: keeps the whole look from slipping for hours.

Where to buy: lookfantastic.com – £29.50

Maybelline Super Stay Vinyl Ink

For lip colour that survives a long, hot day, a wedding, a holiday, anything involving food and drinks, this is hard to beat for the price. It’s seriously long-wearing with a glossy, almost wet finish, and it doesn’t budge through most of a meal.

Why it lasts: transfer resistant through food, drinks and heat.

Where to buy: boots.com – £11.99

Benefit 24HR Brow Setter

Sweat and humidity will undo your brows faster than almost anything else on your face. A clear brow gel keeps them in shape, and Benefit’s holds all day without going crispy or flaking — a small thing that quietly keeps the whole face looking pulled together.

Why it holds: strong hold against sweat without the flaking.

Where to buy: benefitcosmetics.com – £26

Final Thoughts

None of this is about wearing more in the heat. if anything it’s wearing less, just chosen better. Lean on lighter bases, cream and liquid textures over powders, tubing mascara and a setting spray that actually does its job. and, as Allison puts it, build in thin, intentional layers rather than piling product on. Do that, and your face will still look like your face by the time you get home.